Automatic railway-switch.



--E. HOWARD. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH. npmdumn FILED APR, 26, 1910.

Patented'Dee. 20, 1910.

2 BEBETS-BEEET 1.

E. HOWARD.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APILIOATION FILED APR.2B, 1910.

979, 1 66. Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

onirn stars earner enrich,

EIVIMETT HOWARD, OF EUGENE, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO THE HQWARD AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH CO., OF EUGENE, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF OREGON.

AUTOMATIC E-AILVfAY-SWITCH.

979,166. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Application filed April 26, 1810. Serial No. 557,870.

To all whom it may concern: 1 Referring to the drawings, Z) represents a Be it known that I, EMMETT Howann, a horizontal shaft which extends transversely citizen of the United States of America, reto and below the rails, and which is carried siding in Eugene, in the county of Lane and in suitable bearings on boxes 6 that are State of Oregon, have invented certain new bolted or spiked to the cross-ties parallel c and useful Improvements in Automatic with and inside of the track-rails. On the Railway-Switches, of which the following is shaft 7) are moui'ited two cam-levers a which a specification. are located between the track-rails and the This invention relates to an improved adjacent boxes 0, one camlever extending in automatic railway switch which is specially one direction and the other in opposite direedesigned for the use of street railways so as tion from the shaft 7). The cam-levers a are to facilitate the setting of the switches from curved in such a manner that their middle the main-track to the side-tracks when going portions extend above the level of the railin one direction or when returning in the heads, while their outer ends are slightly beopposite direction, so as to dispense with the low the heads of the track-rails, so that they setting of the switches by a special attendant can be operated by suitable mechanism from or by the stepping down of the motornian the car both when the car is going in one or for this purpose, all the operations for the opposite direction over the track. The setting the switches being attended to autoshaft Z) is extended at one side beyond the matically from the car-platform. ends of the cross-ties and connected by a The invention consists of a switch-operatanky with a pivot-rod g which extends to ing i'nechanism comprising cam levers ara suflicient length alongside of the track to a ranged alongside of the track and connected point near the switch-tongue to be operated. with {I tlklllSVGlSe shaft which tlll'l'lS in Stllt- The pposite. end of the onnecting rod 9 is able bearing-blocts supported on the cross pivoted to an elbow-lever I71, that is supported so ties and connected by intermediate lever on a plate on which is supported on the ends mechanism with the switch-tongue, said camof two adjacent cross-ties, the opposite end levers being curved so as to extend above f the elbow-lever being connected by a the level of the heads of the track-rails and transverse rod 2' which extends below the actuated by rollers which are operated by a track-rails across the track to the switchhand-lever and shaft on the front and rear tongue to be operated. platforms of the car, and intermediate mechhen the canidever a is pressed down anism connecting said rollers with the operon one id f th tra k, it Opens the switch ating shaft. connected therewith, while the cam-lever The invention consists further of certain at the opposite side is raised; but when the details of construction and combinations of opposite cam-lever is pressed down, it clos s parts which will be fully described hereinthe switch. The depression of either camafter and finally pointed out in the claims. lever at one side or the other of the track In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 dispenses with the use of a bar in openrepresents a plan-view of the track showing ing the switch when going in one direction the can1levers arranged alongside of the over the track and in closing the switch, track and their connection with the switchas well with the use of the wheel-flange tongue to be operated. Fig. 2 is a side-elevafor crowding the switch-tongue sidewise tion of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a side-elevation of a when the car is moving over the track in car showing the mechanism for operating the opposite direction. the cam-levers from the platforms of the The pressing down of the cam-levers at car, partly in section on line 3, 3, Fig. t, one side or the other of the track is accom- Fig. t is a front-elevation of the switchplished by rollers 7', one for each camtongue setting mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a lever and vertically above the same. Each detail bottom-view of the connection of the roller j is supported 011 the lower end of operating shaft on the car-platform with the an angular roller-bar y' which is fulcrumed cam-lever setting mechanism. in bearings of a hanger 72 that is attached Similar letters of reference indicate correto the car-bottom, one on each side of the spending parts throughout the several same, as shown in Fig. 8. The upper ends of the angular roller-bars j are pivotally figures.

connected with longitudinal connecting rods Z which are pivoted at their opposite ends to a transverse bar Z that is attached at its center to an upright operating shaft n that is supported in suitable neck and stepbearings on the car-platform, said operating shaft being provided at its upper end with a hand-lever a by which the operating shaft and cross-bar are turned from their normal position to the right or left hand side, according as the actuating roller on one side or the other of the track is to be actuated.

For opening the switch, the hand lever n is moved to one side, so that the operating bar is turned into inclined position to the axis of the car, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. This lowers the roller at one side, presses the corresponding camlever in downward direction and raises the operating roller at the opposite side. To close the switch, the harm-lever is moved. toward the opposite side, whereby the roller at that side is raised and the roller at the opposite side lowered. When the switches are to remain closed, the roller-operating mechanism is retained in the normal or median position, without moving the handlever and operating bar to either side, whereby both rollers are raised sufficiently so as to pass over the curved portions of the cam-levers without actuating the same. By the mechanism described for actuating the rollers the motorman can operate the switeh-tongiile at the right or left hand of the track, coming or going, by turning the lever from the central or neutral position to either the left or right hand side, as required, so that he can readily open or close the switches without stopping the car, getting down and setting the switclrtongue. \Vhen the car returns over the track, the operation of setting the switches is accom plished from the platform at the opposite end of the car, the actuating mechanism being operated by a second upright shaft, operating bar and connecting rod from the platform at the opposite end of the car.

By the switch-operating mechanism described, located along the track and on the car. the switches at one or the other side of the track connecting with tracks at either side of the main-track can be conveniently operated from the car without reducing the speed of the same and without the employment of special employees for manually setting the switch-tongues, the construction of the switch-operating mechanism being very simple and effective, easily operated from either end of the ca and not liable to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an automatic railway switch, the combination of, a cross-shaft extending transversely of the track below the tracl' rails, blocks supported on the cross-ties, bearings for said crossshaft supported on said blocks, curved cam-levers extending laterally and approximately horizontally from the cross-shaft in opposite directions to each other, hangers projecting downardly from the bottom of the car and provided with bearings, angular roller bars fulcrumed in said bearings, a roller at the bottom of each bar and adapted to engage said cam-levers respectively, upright operating shafts at the ends of the car, a transverse bar at the lower end of each upright shaft, and longitudinal connecting rods connecting each end of each transverse bar with the upper end of one of the angular bars re spectively.

2. In an automatic railway switch, the combination of, a cross-shaft extending transversely of the track below the track rails, blocks supported on the cross-ties be tween the rails, bearings for said cross-shaft supported on the lower face of said blocks, curved cam-levers extending laterally and approximately horizontally from the crossshaft in opposite directions to each other and adjacent to and parallel to the inside face of each rail respectively, hangers projecting downwardly from the bottom of the car and provided with bearings, angular roller bars fulcrumed intermediately of their ends in said bearings, a roller at the bottom of each bar and adapted each to engage one of said cam-levers respectively, upright operating shafts at the ends of the car, a transverse bar at the lower end of each upright shaft, and longitudinal connecting rods connecting each end of each transverse bar with the upper end of one of the angular bars re spectively.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMMETT HOWARD.

Witnesses Louis E. BEAN, MAE GIBSON. 

